In the project management
profession, a job title alone
doesn’t say enough. Project manager
and program manager positions di;er among organizations, so candidates should outline the speci;cs
of each job role, Mr. Passet says.

Flesh out titles by describing responsibilities,
listing budget ;gures, outlining the level of organizational oversight and highlighting frequently used
project management processes. If the stakeholder
management on a project required a creative communications plan, say so. If a project involved stringent risk management, indicate the tools used and
the outcomes achieved.

“For project managers, the résumé o;ers the
opportunity to display that they know how to use
the tools, resources and processes of project management,” says Billi Ford, PMP, senior consultant,
JPI, Washington, D.C., USA.

Cutthe fat.

Résumés and CVs typically should be
limited to two or three pages, Mr. Yinger
says. But successful project managers likely could
;ll twice that much space with their achievements,
responsibilities and interests.

If a résumé is getting wordy, start by cutting
social activities and volunteer work, which are better suited for online pro;les. Also omit references,
unless the job post requests them. Organizations
will ask for references when they’re ready.

“When you’re going through a traditional résumé,
you want facts,” Mr. Passet says. “You can get a soft
image of the person online with social networking
pro;les.”

Hit thetarget.

Nothing screams “job-search spam”like a boilerplate résumé. More than 3 in“Tailor your résumé to the speci;c job oppor-tunity,” Ms. Ford says. “Highlight the skills thataddress the key tasks or competencies listed in thejob posting. Show that you can come in and reallyhelp that organization.”For example, if a job description calls for exper-tise with speci;c project management tools, outlinehow those tools were used on previous projects, Ms.Azevedo says. And if the organization is looking forsomeone who has worked in a speci;c sector, suchas software development, rewrite the summary toemphasize experience in that ;eld.

Many organizations also use keyword ;lters to
sift through the initial wave of applications. Including the right keywords, such as the required skills
outlined in the job posting, can help a résumé get
through the automated screening process.